I'm seriously considering the purchase of a 1985 Fleetwood Brougham and wanted to solicit advice -

It's the classic grandfather's car - garaged all its life with careful maintenance by the second senior owner, who doted on it.

The original senior owner was less careful, and the HT4100 was replaced at 38K with a brand new engine (another HT4100) - a $5,000 job with all receipts.

Now the car has 53K, so the engine is only at about 15K. Brakes and shocks are fresh, tires seem fresh too.

Its performance seemed acceptable, especially since its primary job will be highway cruising. I've read a lot about the HT4100's lack of power, and I once owned an '81 Caprice Classic 4.3 that you had to floor pretty much all the time, but this Cadillac didn't seem that bad. At the least, it felt more robust than the automatic Mini Cooper I rented to go see it - I had that car floored most of the time also.

Everything works in this Fleetwood with exception of the front tilt for the driver's power seat. That's something I'd want to fix, but I read on another board that the power seats are expensive to service. Anyone have experience to confirm or refute that?

I've also read that I should put pellets in the radiator to plug holes. Anything I can do to prevent trouble with the intake manifold gaskets?

I appreciate any feedback in deciding whether or not to buy this Fleetwood. It's almost a no-brainer, as the price puts it near Hondas and Toyotas with 200K+ miles. Only problem is that it's too long for the garage, so it will have to live on the city street. The pluses seem to outweigh the minuses, though.

Thoughts?

jayoldschool

07-29-07, 09:25 PM

Having that 4100 replaced doesn't mean it was mistreated - they just blew. My mother's went at low mileage, and it was babied. First time I heard rod knock, and I hope it's the last.

Moivng on... two door or four? Price? Why won't it fit in the garage? Stairs in the way? I removed my stairs to get my 65 Impala convertible in the garage:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e202/jayoldschool/Tires005.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e202/jayoldschool/24-05-06_1823.jpg

Jonas McFeely

07-29-07, 09:28 PM

I have an '85. Had it for over 2 years. Got it with 43k. It now has almost 77k on it. Has the original HT4100 and it has never given me any problems, and i dont baby it either. It has been a relatively problem free car and has never left me sitting. Its fairly cheap to fix.

I'm glad to hear the HT4100 can stand up to hard use. I really hammered that Caprice, and it held up OK.

Nice removal of the stairs. My problem is I share a tandem garage with my roommate, and when his Honda Accord is parked, I have exactly 217.4 inches to work with. I'm pretty sure I read that the Fleetwood is around 224" - is that right?

It does seem like a really cheap car to fix.

The replacement shocks were a nice surprise - it was surprisingly buttoned-down on the drive.

I'm glad to hear the HT4100 can stand up to hard use. I really hammered that Caprice, and it held up OK.

Nice removal of the stairs. My problem is I share a tandem garage with my roommate, and when his Honda Accord is parked, I have exactly 217.4 inches to work with. I'm pretty sure I read that the Fleetwood is around 224" - is that right?

It does seem like a really cheap car to fix.

The replacement shocks were a nice surprise - it was surprisingly buttoned-down on the drive.

From the PICTURE, that looks suspiciously NOT like an '85.

No HT 4100 badging on the front sides

"Brougham" not "Fleetwood Brougham" on the rear panels

Looks like it says "Cadillac" on the right rear rather than "Fleetwood"

Not saying it ISN'T an '85, but it looks like my '87

Either way it's a nice looking car.

jayoldschool

08-02-07, 09:36 PM

84s didn't get HT4100 badges either. BTW, that car is identical to the car I am driving right now - my mother's 84 FWB sedan. I loaned her my Roadmaster wagon to go to the cottage. I'll take some pics for you tomorrow. Pretty sure hers says "Fleetwood Brougham" on the quarters. What does that say?

Oh, tell your roomate that Honda goes outside!:tisk:

Jonas McFeely

08-02-07, 10:09 PM

From the PICTURE, that looks suspiciously NOT like an '85.

No HT 4100 badging on the front sides

"Brougham" not "Fleetwood Brougham" on the rear panels

Looks like it says "Cadillac" on the right rear rather than "Fleetwood"

Not saying it ISN'T an '85, but it looks like my '87

Either way it's a nice looking car.

Most sedans never got HT4100 badging. No '85s did. Mine does because i added them as a joke.

The lack of "fleetwood brougham" on the fenders is suspicious, but it has the correct wheel covers. They were changed in '86.